Qin Sheng was very familiar with the route from the Zhongnan Mountains to Qujiang New District, but he felt different every time he was back. Especially the last few times, he even felt a little guilty, because he owed the Lin Family so much. He had grown up there since he was a little kid. Even when he disappeared for no reason from time to time in these years, Auntie Wang and other people in the Lin Family just worried about him a lot, fearing that he might get hurt and would be gone forever.
He sometimes felt that he was very selfish, always doing things at his own will and never caring about other people’s feelings, so lately, he just kept self-questioning himself.
Like Auntie Wang, after the misfortune happened to the Lin Family and Uncle Lin was put in prison, she must have been under an incredible amount of pressure. Xin Xin was studying in Shanghai, and he also disappeared, so Auntie Wang lived in Xi’an all alone. He couldn’t imagine how hard life would be for her at the time.
Uncle Lin was in prison. He was kind of the only man in the Lin Family, who ought to bear the load and responsibility now. When he was out during those two years, even though he was following the last will of his grandfather, traveling the world, he should at least stay in touch with the Lin Family. Therefore, when Uncle Lin got into trouble, he could have made it back in time, so that Auntie Wang and Xin Xin wouldn’t have been helpless and bullied by those outsiders.
When he had an accident on Mount Jiuhua and disappeared, he didn’t tell Auntie Wang and Xin Xin. And while something bad happened to him again some time ago, he still didn’t say anything to them and directly left. Each time, he just disappeared and then appeared again in front of them for no reason. What would Auntie Wang and Xin Xin think of him?
The Lin Family had always regarded him as part of their family and provided him with food and clothes, and also paid for his education. Auntie Wang treated him like he was her own son and had taken very good care of him since he was a little kid, never giving him any discomfort. Xin Xin treated him like her own elder brother and was always nice to him, while also telling him everything. He, at the same time, had always been there for her as her greatest supporter. But, what he did now would make them sad and think that he had never regarded them as his family and just lodged with them.
Therefore, after experiencing so many things, Qin Sheng valued them more. He was already determined that he would never treat Auntie Wang and Xin Xin this way, no matter what happened in the future. Meanwhile, he would also try his best to exonerate Uncle Lin on the charges and return the life of Lin Family to normal.
Qin Sheng had been thinking about these things all the way, trying to figure out a way to make up for the things he had neglected in these years. He frowned with a solemn expression, making Qin Ran beside him feel a little depressed.
“Qin Sheng, what’s wrong?” Qin Ran asked in concern.
Qin Sheng said with a sense of guilt, “Sister, I feel very sorry for the Lin Family. They’ve treated me so well all these years, but I’ve never repaid them anything.”
Qin Ran knew that Qin Sheng must have recalled those things in the past and said to him lovingly, “There is no need to think about that now. You’re still young, and you will have a lot of chances to repay them. Besides, you have us. If there is something you are not able to do for them, we will do it for you until you’ve repaid them enough.”
Qin Sheng was quiet now, only going over in his mind how to repay the Lin Family and make it up to them.
As they arrived at the gateway of Jindi Furong Shijia, it was already after five o’clock and it was almost dark. The night scene in Qujiang New District was intoxicating, which had become a really charming landscape of this city.
After asking the driver to pull over to the side of the road, Qin Sheng told the driver he could go and would be notified in advance about what time they would go to the airport tomorrow.
Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve. Qin Sheng wasn’t sure if Auntie Wang and Xin Xin were at home. After all, people would usually go out and buy all kinds of things for the Spring Festival. He only remembered the telephone number of Auntie Wang and totally forgot the number of Xin Xin after she went to Shanghai, so he had to just call Auntie Wang.
Qin Sheng dialed the telephone number of Auntie Wang nervously, but no one had answered it a couple of times, which made Qin Sheng feel puzzled.
“What’s wrong? Still nobody answering your call?” Qin Ran frowned and asked.
Qin Sheng nodded with a bitter smile. He hesitated for a while and then said, “Sister, wait for me here for a minute. I’ll go inside and see if there is anyone home.”
That was the only thing they could do. Qin Ran had no other choice but to stay in the car and wait for Qin Sheng.
The guard of Jindi Furong Shijia recognized Qin Sheng at once, because Qin Sheng had come back a couple of times. He directly let Qin Sheng in. When Qin Sheng arrived at the downstairs, he pushed the door control system three times. As there was still no one answering, so Qin Sheng was sure that no one was home.
Qin Sheng came out helplessly, worrying about them. When he saw the guard again as he was walking out, he asked him casually about Auntie Wang and Xin Xin. The guard told him that they had already gone out that afternoon. The guard had a pretty deep impression of the beautiful mother and daughter, and they also got along well in daily life, so he could remember them easily.
After Qin Sheng came back to the car, Qin Ran already knew the result from his expression, and said with a bitter laugh, “No one’s home?”
Qin Sheng sighed and said, “Yeah, but the guard said that Auntie Wang and Xin Xin went out this afternoon. They just haven’t come back yet.”
Qin Ran teased him, “Poor kid. Couldn’t go back home.”
Qin Sheng pondered for a while and said, “Let’s wait a little longer. If Xin Xin and Auntie Wang still haven’t come home within half an hour, I will contact others to see if I could find out about Xin Xin and Auntie Wang.”
“All right. Anyway, we don’t have other things to do right now. You could tell me something about them, so that I’ll have some topics when chatting with them later.” Qin Ran didn’t mind waiting. They were going back to Beijing tomorrow. There was still enough time.
Therefore, Qin Sheng and Qin Ran were waiting in the car. After less than half an hour, Qin Sheng already saw Auntie Wang driving her old Audi A4L back. He remembered very clearly the license plate number of Auntie Wang’s car, so as soon as he saw the car, he smiled finally, knowing they were back.
“Sister, they are back!” Qin Sheng stared at the Audi A4L at the gateway and said with a smile.
Just from Qin Sheng’s smile, Qin Ran could tell how deep his affection was for the Lin Family, so she smiled and said, “Well, let’s go then. Take me to meet the great benefactor of our Qin Family. You keep saying that little sister Xin Xin is a very beautiful girl, so let me see how pretty she is!”
Just as Qin Sheng and Qin Ran were about to get out of the car, there seemed to be a conflict happening at the gateway. A car was blocking the parking entrance, and its owner was arguing with the guard. Auntie Wang honked the horn twice, which immediately irritated the driver of the car in front. He directly turned around and walked to the Audi. After violently slapping the engine hood of the Audi twice, he cursed, “Dammit. You can’t see me or what? Why did you honk the horn?”
Auntie Wang was startled by him. She was just in a hurry to get home and make dinner, and also had to prepare food for the Spring Festival. She hadn’t expected this kind of thing to happen at all.
Auntie Wang didn’t say anything, restraining herself with an intention to let this thing go naturally. After her husband was put in prison, she had always been kind to others, wanting to do good for the Lin Family, or she might just be less confident because now she had no one to rely on at all. But, Xin Xin was not soft. Her father was not with them, while her brother was also gone. She was the only one to protect her mother at the moment. She just couldn’t bear that her mother was bullied that way.
Without any hesitation, Xin Xin directly got out of the car. Auntie Wang wanted to call her back, but it was no use. She couldn’t pull her back, and had to get out of the car hastily.
After Xin Xin got out, she glared at the malicious-looking man in front of her and asked, “What did you say?”
The man saw two women getting out of the car, and had no fear at all, saying, “Can’t you see that there is a car in front, bitch? Honking the horn, you want to have your reincarnation earlier?”
Xin Xin was so furious that she said, “Being a grown-up, if you can’t speak about things properly, just stay home and don’t come out to shame your parents!”
That man hadn’t thought that the pretty girl in front of him would dare to answer back to him. But of course, he wouldn’t back off either, as there were even two of his friends there with him. Face was the most important thing, so he cursed again, “Son of a bitch! You dare to curse me! I guess you are courting death!”
Then he raised his hand and was about to slap Xin Xin. All the residents of Qujiang New District basically were rich people. What’s more, that man had a Land Rover, which made him even more arrogant.
Xin Xin had never expected that the man would beat her, but she still stood there and had no intention to back down. At the time, Auntie Wang was walking toward them. She turned pale and exclaimed, “Xin Xin!”
Just as Xin Xin was ready to take the slap and the man’s hand was about to touch her beautiful face, somebody suddenly grabbed his arm, while a gloomy voice of a man came along, “What did you just say?”
This man was exactly Qin Sheng. He had been really pleased to see Auntie Wang and Xin Xin, but his face immediately fell when that man started cursing them.
He had told himself on the way that he’d never let anybody bully Auntie Wang and Xin Xin again, and would also try his best to make them live a happy life. He wanted to make it up to them, as he had owed them too much in these years.
And now, there was someone daring to touch his bottom line. How could he bear that?
Auntie Wang saw Qin Sheng first. She exclaimed in disbelief, “Sheng’er…”
Xin Xin had been expecting the slap and then was surprised to find that the man’s arm was grabbed. She subconsciously looked sideways at Qin Sheng, whom she recognized at once. Being struck dumbfounded, she just couldn’t believe that it would be Qin Sheng. Her eyes went red at once, and she cried in an aggrieved tone, “Brother…”
That arrogant man was stopped unexpectedly, and after hearing what Qin Sheng said, he became even more furious and yelled, “Bastard, who are you?”
Qin Sheng was already not in any state to say hello to Auntie Wang and Xin Xin now, because he had to make the man in front of him remember that today would be the worst day in his life.
“You court death!” Qin Sheng narrowed his eyes, his eyes full of killing aura.
Before he finished speaking, he directly punched that man in the face. The next second, he kicked his belly with all his strength. The arrogant man immediately flew backward like a kite with a broken string. He hit the trunk of the Land Rover heavily, and then fell to the ground, vomiting blood. It was clear how angry Qin Sheng was.
The sudden changes frightened the people around.
After panicking for a while, the two friends of that man also came around. Without any hesitation, they ran at Qin Sheng. Not stepping back, Qin Sheng also moved toward them fearlessly…